Deputy Minister of Finance Vo Thanh Hung and Dutch Ambassador Kees van Baar exchange the MoU on the Vietnam-Netherlands agreement on customs cooperation

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam reported a consistent and robust growth in trade relations with the Netherlands, witnessing an annual increase exceeding 20%.

In 2016, bilateral trade reached US$6.69 billion, with Vietnam's exports to the Netherlands comprising US$6.01 billion, making it Vietnam's largest export market in Europe and the 6th largest global trade partner. This positive trend continued, reaching US$7.76 billion in 2017 and US$7.8 billion in 2018, where Vietnam's exports to the Netherlands accounted for US$7.08 billion.

The Netherlands is a leading European investor in Vietnam, ranking 11th among 116 countries and territories with 304 projects and a total registered capital of US$8.17 billion. Several large Dutch corporations have established successful investment projects in Vietnam, such as De Heus, FrieslandCampina, Peja Vietnam, Heineken, Unilever, Royal Dutch Shell, Akzo Nobel and Philips. Vietnam, on the other hand, has a modest presence in the Netherlands, with only seven investment projects worth US$6.5 million.

The International Cooperation Department under the General Department of Customs highlighted the consistent support from the Customs Administration of the Netherlands in areas such as customs management at seaports, risk management, target monitoring, and collaboration in information provision for smuggling control and prevention.

A pivotal moment in this bilateral partnership occurred on April 9, 2019, marked by the signing of the "Agreement on Mutual Administrative Support in Customs" during the official visit of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to Vietnam. Article 18 of the Agreement emphasizes joint decisions by customs authorities to facilitate its enforcement.

To operationalize this agreement, GDC General Director Nguyen Van Can and Mr. Kees van Baar, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Vietnam, signed an implementation agreement on November 1.

This commitment was underscored in Hanoi on November 2, witnessed by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, as Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Finance Vo Thanh Hung and Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Kees van Baar exchanged the agreement's implementation.

The International Cooperation Department’s representative stated that the two sides have shared best practices on customs management at seaports, airports, risk management and target monitoring to achieve the agreed goals. They have also collaborated closely on providing and verifying information for anti-smuggling efforts. Moving forward, the two sides will engage in professional cooperation and exchanges on e-commerce, green customs, digital transformation, customs inspection and supervision of goods subject to intellectual property protection, customs value, origin and other relevant matters.

Looking ahead, the two sides plan to deepen their collaboration in e-commerce, green customs, digital transformation, customs inspection, and supervision of goods related to intellectual property protection, customs value, and origin. GDC General Director Nguyen Van Can expresses confidence that these signed customs cooperation documents will translate into specific plans and activities, aligning with the shared strengths and interests of both Vietnam and the Netherlands.